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OF  THE 

University  of  NortK  Carolina 

This  book  was  presented  by  the  family 
of  the  ]ate 

KEMP  PiUMMER  BATTLE,  '49 

President  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina 
from  1876  to  1891 


00042093698 


Cp3S5.l-  6G5| 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


THIS  TITLE  HAS  BEEN  MICROFILMED 


REPORT 


OF 


WALTER  GWYNN. 


CHIEF    ENGINEER 


OF  THE 


BLUE  RIDGE  RAIL  ROAD  COMPANY, 


IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA, 


8a  k  HJteting  of  %  StotMjokrs, 


HELD   IN   CHARLESTON, 


The  22d  November,  1856. 


CHARLESTON: 

STEAM  POWER  PRESS  OF  WALKER,  EVANS  &  CO., 

3  BROAD  STREET. 

1856. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/reportofwaltergwOOgwyn 


Engineer's  Office,  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road, 
Anderson,  November  13,  1856. 

To  the  President  and  Directors  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road  Company, 
in  South  Carolina  : 

Gentlemen, — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  operations  of  the 
Engineer  Department  since  the  17th  day  of  March  last,  the  date  of  my 
appointment  to  the  office  of  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Company. 

I  deem  it  proper,  before  entering  upon  a  recital  of  the  duties  to  which 
my  attention  has  been  particularly  directed,  to  state  at  least  the  general 
condition  of  the  work,  when  it  was  committed  to  my  charge. 

1.  The  Rail  Road.  Having  for  its  termini  Anderson  Court  House,  in 
South  Carolina,  and  Knoxville,  in  Tennessee,  known  as  the  "  Blue  Ridge 
Rail  Road,"  had  been  located,  and  a  contract  entered  into  with  Messrs. 
Anson  Bangs  &  Co.  "  to  construct,  finish,  equip  and  furnish  it." 

2.  The  Graduation.  The  Contractors  had  sub-let  the  grading  and 
culverts,  or  square  drains,  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia;  ground  had 
been  broken  on  every  contract;  some  of  the  square  drains  had  been  com- 
pleted, and  some  of  the  light  work  intervening  between  the  heavy  cuts 
and  fills  between  Anderson  and  Walhalla  had  been  reduced  nearly  to 
grade  ;  but  no  portion  of  the  graduation  was  in  a  state  of  preparation 
for  the  superstructure,  nor  had  any  materials  been  provided  for  the  su- 
perstructure, either  of  iron,  chairs,  spikes,  or  cross-ties. 

3.  At  the  very  commencement  of  the  Road,  and  through  Anderson, 
a  deep  cut,  occupying  the  whole  of  the  past  season,  with  the  best  ener- 
gies of  the  contractor  exerted  towards  its  completion,  (which  has  just  now 
been  effected,)  was  in  an  unfinished  state.  Four  miles  from  Anderson,  a 
contract,  embracing  a  heavy  excavation,  including  rock,  had  been  dis- 
continued. 

4.  The  Masonry.  Not  a  cubic  yard  of  bridge  masonry  had  been  laid  ; 
a  small  quantity  of  stone  had  been  prepared  at  Hayne's  quarry  for  the 
bridge  over  Twenty-Three  Mile  Creek,  and  a  few  yards  delivered  ;  a 
quarry,  known  as  Teagues  quarry,  near  the  bridge  over  Twenty-Six  Mile 
Creek,  was  partially  opened,  and  a  few  loads  of  rock,  unsuitable  for  the 
masonry,  was  delivered.  This  comprises  all  that  had  been  done  towards 
this  important  portion  of  the  work  ;  which,  from  its  heavy  character,  and 
the  necessity  of  its  completion,  to  make  the  graduation  available,  ought, 


as  is  customary,  and  as  is  the  requirement  upon  every  other  public  work, 
to  have  been  the  first  commenced  ;  or  at  least,  to  have  proceeded  pari 
passu  with  the  grading. 

The  masonry  for  the  bridge  over  Twenty-Six  Mile  Creek,  the  heaviest 
job  on  the  line,  (only  six  miles  from  Anderson,)  cannot  now  be  comple- 
ted short  of  eighteen  months,  and  probably  not  for  two  years  ;  and  it 
may  be  late  next  year  before  any  job  is  completed. 

5.  The  Tunnels.  The  approaches  of  the  Saddle  and  Middle  Tunnels, 
in  South  Carolina,  and  Dick's  Creek  and  Warwoman  Tunnels,  in  Georgia, 
had  been  commenced,  and  carried  as  far  as  the  earth  excavation  extended  ; 
a  very  small  quantity  of  rock  was  taken  out.  The  approach  to  the  east- 
ern portal  of  the  Stump  House  Tunnel,  in  South  Carolina,  which  con- 
sisted almost  wholly  of  earth,  or  decomposed  rock,  had  been  completed, 
and  the  tunnel  perforated  with  an  irregular  and  imperfect  section  to  a 
distance  of  116  7-10  feet.  At  the  western  end,  the  approach  had  advan- 
ced 900  feet.  This  part  of  the  work,  also,  consisted  chiefly  of  earth  and 
soft  rock,  and  was  excavated  nearly  to  grade.  The  grade  was  then  raised 
nearly  to  the  level  of  the  crown  of  the  tunnel,  and  the  excavation  con- 
tinued, still  chiefly  through  earth  and  soft  rock,  to  the  portal  of  the  tun- 
nel. From  the  portal,  the  heading  of  the  tunnel  was  excavated  to  a 
distance  of  about  forty  feet,  and  shafts  No.  1,  2,  3  and  4  had  been  sunk 
89  6-10,  49,  35  and  66  feet  respectively,  being  about  the  depth  of  the 
earth  excavation,  and  the  work  suspended. 

6.  The  work  done.  The  work  was  commenced  in  the  fall  of  1853, 
and  continued  by  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  until  the  1st  of  April,  1856  ;  the 
estimates  on  file  in  the  Engineer's  Office  show  that  it  amounted,  in  South 
Carolina,  to  1,902,665  cubic  yards  of  earth,  190,875  cubic  yards  of  rock, 
4,163  cubic  yards  of  tunnel,  and  971  cubic  yards  of  shaft  excavation, 
7,332  cubic  perches  of  culvert  masonry,  and  120  cubic  perches  of  re- 
taining Avail  ;  in  Georgia,  to  158,253  cubic  yards  of  earth,  86,539  cubic 
yards  of  rock,  and  6,831  cubic  perches  of  culvert  masonry.  This  esti- 
mate is  now  undergoing  a  revision.  The  calculations,  as  far  as  they  have 
progressed,  develope  several  very  material  errors,  which,  if  not  compen- 
sated for  by  counterbalancing  errors,  will  considerably  lessen  the  amounts 
above. 

7.  All  the  work  which  has  been  done  by  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.,  togeth- 
er with  that  remaining  to  be  done,  could  now  be  executed  as  soon  as  the 
tunnels  and  bridges  can  be  finished.  Looking,  therefore,  to  the  ulti- 
mate completion  of  the  Rail  Road,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  Messrs. 
Bangs  &  Co.  have  accomplished  nothing  towards  effecting  this  impor- 
tant end.     Indeed,  but  for  the  committal  of  the  Company,  through  the 


y. 


agency  of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  to  their  sub-contractors,  (whose  contracts 
the  company,  acting  from  a  high  sense  of  justice,  have  renewed,)  the 
work  of  graduation  on  the  greater  portion  of  the  road  between  Seneca 
River  and  "  Locust  Stake,"  would  not  now  be  in  progress ;  for,  with  the 
exception  of  some  of  the  deep  cuts  and  fills,  which  alone  ought  to  have 
been  commenced,  much  of  it  will  be  completed  long  before  the  tunnels 
and  masonry.  The  consequence  will  be  an  outlay  of  interest,  and  the 
expense  of  preserving  and  keeping  the  road  bed  in  repair,  without  any 
return. 

8.  In  compliance  with  a  requirement  of  the  charter  of  the  Knoxville 
and  Charleston  Rail  Road  Company,  to  commence  the  Road  in  Tennes- 
see within  a  given  time,  the  graduation  and  masonry,  under  a  contract 
with  Messrs.  O'Hara  &  Lamon,  had  been  completed  to  the  Holston  River, 
one  mile  from  the  "  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia  Rail  Road." 

9.  The  repeated  orders  to  the  Contractors,  on  file  in  this  Office,  to 
commence  and  prosecute  the  bridge  masonry  and  the  tunnels,  show  that 
the  Board  were  not  unmindful  of  the  importance  of  the  prosecution  of 
these  important  works,  simultaneously  with  the  grading,  and  the  effects 
of  their  delay  on  the  success  and  final  completion  of  the  Road.  And  I 
may  add,  the  refusal  of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  to  obey  the  orders  of  the 
Board,  which  were  in  conformity  to  usage,  and  the  dictates  of  common 
sense,  in  the  order  of  progression,  which  requires  the  heavy  work  to  keep 
pace  with  the  light,  or  the  light  to  be  checked,  by  the  slower  progress  of 
the  heavy  work ;  their  pertinacious  persistence  in  this  extraordinary 
course  ;  and  their  constant  demands  upon  the  Board  to  throw  the  whole 
line  open, and  spread  their  partial  operations  over  the  comparatively  light 
and  unimportant  work  of  graduation,  indicates  very  clearly,  if  other  con- 
siderations were  wanting,  that  their  purposes  and  designs  were  foreign 
from  a  just  sense  of  their  obligations  to  the  Company.  For  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  they  under-estimated  the  time  required  for  the  execution 
of  works  of  such  acknowledged  magnitude,  as  were  already  embraced 
within  the  compass  of  their  operations  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 

10.  Such,  in  brief,  was  the  condition  of  the  work,  when  I  took  charge 
of  it.  A  large  amount  expended  in  detached  and  unfinished  excavations 
and  embankments,  useless,  even  when  finished,  without  the  completion  of 
the  bridges  and  tunnels — towards  which,  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  had  made 
little  or  no  progress,  and  evinced  no  disposition  or  intention  to  take  them 
in  band. 

11.  The  repeated  refusal  of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  to  obey  the  orders  of 
the  Board,  heretofore  mentioned,  which  were  entirely  consistent  with  the 
provisions  of  the  contract,  so  reasonable,  so  entirely  in  conformity  with 


custom  and  experience,  and  so  obviously  proper,  as  to  admit  of  no  cavil, 
or  doubt ;  their  obstinate  perseverance,  in  defiance  of  all  authority,  and 
obligations  of  their  contract,  in  doing  work  that  could  not  be  made 
available,  until  the  bridges  and  tunnels  were  completed,  together  with 
sundry  breaches  of  various  articles  of  their  agreement  with  the  Com- 
pany, and  other  delinquencies,  led  to  an  abandonment  of  their  contract 
on  the  1st  day  of  April  last — a  result  seemingly  sought  by  the  contrac- 
tors, as  the  best  means  of  relieving  them  from  a  contract,  which  they 
could  not  have  carried  through  without  immense  loss,  and  which,  from 
the  course  pursued,  they  did  not  intend  to  comply  with  ;  but  only  prose- 
cute so  far  as  to  avail  themselves  of  its  possible  speculative  provisions. 

12.  In  anticipation  of  the  abandonment  of  the  contract,  a  measure 
which  I  considered  justifiable,  and  provoked  by  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co. 
and  called  for  by  the  best  interests  of  the  Company  and  the  public;  on 
the  29th  day  of  March,  I  issued  the  following  circular  to  the  sub-con- 
tractors, viz. :  "  The  sub-contractors  of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.  will  call  at 
the  Engineer's  office,  at  Anderson,  between  the  10th  and  15th  of  April, 
for  a  renewal,  modification,  confirmation,  or  recognition  of  their  contracts 
by  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road  Company.  Until  then,  they  may  continue 
to  work  ;  for  which  they  will  be  paid  by  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road  Com- 
pany, the  same  prices  that  they  now  receive  under  their  contracts  with 
Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co." 

13.  The  sub-contractors,  in  compliance  with  my  call,  met  at  the  En- 
gineer's office  at  the  time  appointed,  and,  with  the  exception  of  two  who 
declined,  and  two  to  whom  a  renewal  was  refused,  they  renewed  their 
contracts  in  form  and  terms  the  same  as  their  contracts  with  Messrs.  An- 
son Bangs  &  Co. 

These  contracts  called  for  two  classes  of  materials,  viz. :  earth  and 
rock ;  the  rock  being  taken  generally  at  low  prices,  had  I  suppose  with 
a  view  of  relieving  the  sub-contractors  from  loss  on  this  item,  led  to  the 
practice  of  embracing  under  this  head  rock,  in  a  very  advanced  stage  of 
disintegration,  which  although  in  some  cases  worth  more  than  earth, 
properly  belonged  to  the  earth  classification.  This  practice,  guided  by 
no  fixed  principle,  whilst  it  resulted  in  an  over  estimate  of  rock  in  many 
cases,  gave  rise  to  much  dissatisfaction  and  an  almost  constant  demand 
for  an  increase.  In  order  to  obviate  the  objections  to  this  factitious  mode 
of  estimating,  I  have  with  the  assent  of  the  contractors  introduced  a  third 
class,  under  the  denomination  of  "unclassified  material,"  at  an  interme- 
diate price  between  rock  and  earth,  and  in  a  few  cases  increased  the 
price  of  rock  excavation.  This  arrangement  relieves  the  estimates  of  the 
misnomer  hitherto  applied ;    lessens  the  amount  of  rock ;  works  more 


consistently,  uniformly,  justly,  and  satisfactorily.  Indeed,  without  a  third 
classification,  under  my  construction,  but  few  of  the  contracts  could  be 
worked,  except  at  a  great  loss  to  the  contractor. 

14.  On  the  15th  day  of  May,  the  bridge  masonry  and  tunnels  in  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia  were  contracted  for,  upon  proposals  invited  by  ad- 
vertisements, generally  circulated  in  the  newspapers,  and  scientific 
journals. 

15.  The  bridge  masonry  comprises  the  abutments  and  piers  of  twelve 
bridges,  viz. :  the  bridge  over  Twenty-six  Mile  Creek,  one  pier,  90  feet 
in  height,  abutments  60  feet  in  height,  and  length  of  bridge  300  feet; 
Twenty-three  Mile  Creek,  abutments  36  feet  high,  length  of  bridge,  150 
feet;  Eighteen  Mile  Creek,  abutments  20  feet  high,  length  of  bridge 
150  feet;  Seneca  River,  three  piers,  35  feet  high,  abutments  35  feet 
high,  length  of  bridge,  600  feet;  Caue  Creek,  abutments  17  feet  high, 
length  of  bridge,  100  feet ;  Village  Fork  of  Chauga,  height  of  abutments, 
35  feet,  length  of  Bridge,  150  feet;  Middle  crossing  of  Whetstone,  abut 
ments  17  feet  high,  length  of  bridge,  100  feet;  Lower  crossing  of  Whet 
stone,  abutments  13  feet  high,  length  of  bridge,  100  feet;  Chatuga  River, 
two  piers,  92  feet  high,  abutments,  13  feet  high,  length,  450  feet ;  Lower 
crossing  of  the  Warwoman  Creek,  abutments  28  feet  high,  length  of 
bridge,  60  feet,  and  the  Upper  crossing  of  Warwoman,  height  of  abut- 
ments, 43  feet,  length  of  bridge,  150  feet.  Good  stone  is  found  conveni. 
ent  to  every  site,  except  for  the  bridge  over  Twenty-six  Mile  Creek.  In 
order  to  hasten  the  completion  of  this  work,  which  involves  the  largest 
amount  of  masonry  of  any  bridge  on  the  line,  stone  will  be  drawn  from 
Honea  Path,  and  transported  by  the  Greenville  and  Columbia  Rail  Road, 
17  miles  to  Anderson,  and  thence  six  miles  on  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail 
Road,  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  that  of  three  miles  of  wagonage  on  a  com- 
mon road.  When  the  rail  road  reaches  Pendleton,  it  is  proposed  to  ob- 
tain the  rock  either  at  Hayne'sor  Warley's  quarries,  both  about  the  same 
distance  from  Pendleton,  one  a  mile  to  the  south,  the  other  a  mile  to  the 
north,  when  the  rock  will  be  transported  entirely  on  the  Blue  Ridge 
Rail  Road. 

Not  much  progress  has  been  made  in  the  building.  The  western 
abutment  of  the  bridge  over  Twenty-three  Mile  Creek,  and  the  western 
pier  of  the  bridge  over  Seneca  River,  have  been  raised  each  14  feet,  and 
both  are  rapidly  progressing.  But  it  is  not  the  number  of  yards  laid  that 
always  indicates  the  advancement  in  masonry  jobs,  or  the  expense  incurred. 
The  chief  labor  generally  consists  in  opening  quarries,  and  in  dressing 
the  stone,  nor  is  the  delivery  always  a  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the 
progress  :  the  quarry  may  be  in  close  proximity  to  the  work,  or  it  may  be 


distant  from  it.  In  the  one  case,  the  transportation  may  not  enter 
into  the  estimate ;  in  Ihe  other,  it  should  be  taken  into  the  account  of 
progress.  Oftentimes,  in  the  work  of  preparation,  the  masonry  is  more 
than  half  done  before  a  stone  is  laid,  or  the  work  taken  into  the  estimate- 
Such  is  the  case  on  many  of  the  contracts  now  under  consideration  ;  a 
great  deal  has  been  expended  in  opening  quarries,  and  a  large  amount 
of  stone  has  been  quarried  and  dressed  for  many  of  them,  of  which  no 
note  is  taken,  for  the  reason  that,  as  a  general  rule,  no  payment  is  made 
until  the  stones  have  been  laid  in  the  wall.  For  the  bridges  across  the 
Warwoman,  Whetstone,  Seneca,  Eighteen  Mile  and  Twenty-three  Mile 
Creeks,  a  considerable  quantity  of  stone  has  been  quarried  and  prepared. 
For  the  masonry  over  Twenty-six  Mile  Creek,  much  has  been  expended 
by  the  contractor  in  opening  a  quarry,  which  turned  out  to  be  unsuitable, 
and  he  is  now  actively  engaged  in  preparing  stone  at  Honea  Path,  none 
of  which  appears  in  the  estimates.  Though  the  work  done  bespeaks 
well  for  the  energy  and  perseverance  of  the  contractors,  and  their  pro 
gress  is  satisfactory,  I  have  said  thus  much  on  this  subject  in  justification 
of  the  contractors,  and  in  order  to  disabuse  in  advance  any  opinion  that 
may  be  formed  to  their  prejudice  on  account  of  the  small  amount  of 
work  which'  seems  to  be  done  towards  the  masonry,  from  the  meagre 
shewing  of  the  estimates. 

16.  The  tunnel  work  embraces  five  tunnels,  three  in  South  Carolina, 
viz. :  the  Saddle  Tunnel,  475  feet  in  length ;  the  Middle  Tunnel,  425 
feet;  and  the  Stump  House  Tunnel,  5,862  feet,  and  in  Georgia,  the 
Dicks  Creek  Tunnel,  2,314  feet,  and  the  Warwoman,  1,794  feet  in 
length,  making  in  the  aggregate  in  South  Carolina,  6,762  feet,  and  in 
Georgia,  4,108  feet  of  tunelling. 

The  rock  through  which  the  tunnels  pass  is  of  a  gneiss  formation, 
thickly  stratified,  with  quartz  largely  predominating  ;  the  approaches  are 
all  so  far  advanced  as  fully  to  develope  the  character  of  the  rock.  The 
approaches  of  the  Saddle,  Middle,  and  Dick's  Creek  tunnels  and  War- 
woman  tunnel,  and  the  western  approach  of  the  Stump  House  tunnel  are 
all  in  progress;  on  the  approaches  of  the  Stump  House,  Dick's  Creek, 
and  Warwoman  tunnels,  a  night  and  day  force  is  worked.  The  heading 
of  the  Warwoman  tunnel  has  been  excavated  to  a  distance  of  75  feet. 
At  the  entrance  and  at  a  point  40  feet  from  the  portal,  the  rock  is  some- 
what friable,  and  to  remove  all  apprehension  of  danger  to  the  workmen 
from  falling  fragments,  it  has  been  thought  advisable  to  give  a  slight 
support  to  the  roof.  At  the  Middle  tunnel  the  roof  will  also  require  sup- 
port for  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  from  the  western  portal ;  the  Saddle  and 
Dick's  Creek  tunnels  will  require  no  supports.     The  Stump  House  tun- 


9 

nel  will  be  operated  by  four  shafts,  counting  from  the  east  :  No.  1  has 
been  sunk  115  6-10  feet,  total  depth  of  shaft,  161  6-10  ;  No.  2,  39  feet, 
total  depth,  226  3-10  feet;  No.  3,  50  feet,  total  depth,  213  feet ;  No.  4, 
66  feet,  total  depth,  189  feet.  This  was  the  state  of  the  work  on  the  1st 
of  October.  Here,  as  in  the  masonry,  the  chief  work  is  in  the  prepara- 
tion. The  contractor  has  applied  himself  with  energy  and  industry  to 
his  task.  The  result,  however,  is  not  so  much  in  cubic  yards  and  depth 
in  feet  of  the  shaft  excavation,  as  in  machinery  transported  and  put  up 
at  great  labor  and  cost.  Two  of  the  shafts  will  be  worked  by  steam  en- 
gines, and  two  by  horse  gins;  these  have  been  provided  and  are  now  in 
operation,  the  work  at  each  shaft,  at  the  western  approach,  and  in  the 
eastern  stem  of  the  tunnel,  is  now  carried  on  night  and  day.  The  total 
depth  of  shaft  sunk  by  the  contractor  is  80  feet;  91  feet  of  tunnel  has 
been  excavated  at  the  eastern  end,  and  10  feet  of  heading  at  the  western 
end.  After  making  this  progress  in  the  heading  of  the  western  end,  it 
was  not  thought  advisable,  nor  was  it  necessary  to  proceed  farther,  until 
the  approach  was  excavated,  to  grade  up  to  the  portal.  The  work  in 
the  heading  was,  therefore,  suspended. 

I  would  here  observe,  that  the  work  done  by  the  contractor  has  been  in 
rock,  with  the  exception  of  one  shaft  substituted  for  No.  2,  (heretofore 
mentioned  as  having  been  commenced  by  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.,)  which, 
for  a  better  position,  and  to  more  nearly  equalize  the  distances  between 
the  shafts,  I  found  it  advisable  to  abandon.  I  would  here  advert  to  the 
fact  before  stated,  for  it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  shaft  and  ap- 
proach excavation,  made  by  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.,  consisted  in  a  large 
proportion  of  earth  ;  and  the  tunnel  excavation  was  so  imperfect  and  ir- 
regular in  sections,  as  to  exhaust  nearly  as  much  time,  and  require  nearly 
ly  as  great  an  expenditure  to  enlarge  and  trim  it  into  shape,  as  would 
have  been  requisite  for  its  entire  excavation.  No  springs,  and  but  com- 
paratively little  surface  water,  have  been  encountered  in  the  shafts,  and 
none  in  the  tunnel.  Indeed,  it  would  be  an  anomaly,  if  water  should  oc- 
cur in  any  large  quantity  in  the  rock  formation  through  which  the  tun- 
nel passes.  The  rock  is  now  exposed  at  both  ends  of  the  tunnel ;  and 
through  the  medium  of  the  shafts  at  four  intermediate  points,  the  for- 
mation and  texture  is  precisely  the  same  ;  so  that  we  may,  with  perfect 
safety,  infer  that  we  have  before  us  a  fair  sample  of  the  character  of  the 
rock,  and  that  there  will  be  no  change  throughout  the  entire  excavation 
of  the  tunnel.  Quartz,  the  most  durable  of  rock,  is,  as  before  observed, 
the  predominating  constituent,  so  that  we  have  all  the  favorable  elements 
and  considerations  in  subterranean  excavations  combined — freedom  from 
water,  a  rock  that  will  resist  the  corroding  hand  of  time,  and  form   an 


10 

unyielding  support  for  the  roof  and  sides  of  the  tunnel,  and  from  its 
horizontal  position,  no  danger  of  fragmentary  falls.  The  contract  time 
for  the  completion  of  the  Stump  House  Tunnel  is  two  and  a  half  years 
from  the  first  of  January,  1  857.  It  will  be  worked  from  ten  points  each 
way  from  the  four  shafts,  and  at  each  end.  If  a  full  force  can  at  all  times 
be  commanded,  its  completion  may  be  effected  by  the  time  stipulated 
The  line  is  not  fully  provided,  but  hands  are  now  coming  in ;  the  Con- 
tractors are  paying  liberal  wages ;  and  when  it  comes  to  be  known,  that 
the  region  of  country  through  which  the  road  passes,  and  every  part  of 
the  line,  is  free  from  epidemics  of  all  kinds,  and  is  as  healthy  as  any  line 
of  rail  road  in  the  country,  I  have  no  doubt  the  work  will  be  fully  sup- 
plied. With  the  exception  of  the  Middle  and  Warwoman  Tunnels,  a 
portion  of  which,  as  heretofore  noticed,  will  require  supports,  the  rock 
through  which  the  tunnels  pass  is  as  durable  and  as  favorable  as  the  rock 
of  the  Stump  House  Tunnel.  The  Saddle  and  Middle  Tunnels  are  to  be 
completed  by  the  terms  of  the  contract  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  July, 
1858  ;  the  Dick's  Creek  Tunnel  by  the  first  day  of  January,  1859  ;  and 
the  Warwoman  Tunnel  by  the  first  day  of  July,  1859.  The  progress 
already  made,  and  the  character  and  energy  of  the  Contractors,  leave  no 
room  to  doubt  the  timely  completion  of  these  contracts. 

17.  The  grading  between  Anderson  and  Twenty-Six  Mile  Creek  has 
been  pressed ;  but  with  all  the  force  that  could  be  brought  to  bear  upon 
it,  it  has  been  impossible  to  complete  it.  On  the  cut  through  Anderson, 
but  a  limited  force  could  be  employed  ;  and  the  haul  being  long,  and  the 
bottom  of  the  cut  very  wet,  has  also  contributed  greatly  to  the  delay,  so 
that  it  is  only  just  now  completed.  The  cut  four  miles  from  Anderson, 
heretofore  mentioned  as  having  been  abandoned  by  the  sub-contractor 
of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co.,  was  let  early  in  April,  and  although  diligently 
and  vigorously  prosecuted,  with  the  advantage  of  skilful  management, 
yet  owing  to  rock,  as  well  as  water,  which  has  been  encountered,  will  not 
be  completed  for  several  months,  though  the  contractor  will  in  a  few- 
days  commence  working  a  night  force.  Between  Twenty-Six  Mile  Creek 
and  Pendleton,  a  large  portion  of  the  graduation  will  be  ready  for 
the  superstructure  by  the  first  of  January  next,  and  the  remainder 
will  be  completed  early  in  the  spring.  Between  Pendleton  and  Seneca 
River,  the  grading  will  be  finished  in  the  course  of  six  months  ;  the  em- 
bankment across  Seneca  bottom,  which  it  has  just  been  determined  to 
substitute  for  the  trestle  work,  originally  contemplated,  will  occupy  fully 
eighteen  months,  and  the  masonry  of  the  Seneca  Bridge  perhaps  a  longer 
time  ;  I  have  not,  therefore,  pressed  the  graduation  beyond  the  Seneca  ; 
^     -il  be  completed  to  Walhalla,  the  first  station  beyond  Pendleton,  be- 


11 

fore  the  Seneca  Bridge  can  be  passed.  Between  Walhalla  and  Locust 
Stake,  on  the  North  Carolina  and  Georgia  line,  the  Contractors  have 
been  permitted  to  make  such  progress  as  best  suited  their  interests,  and 
for  the  reasons  heretofore  stated,  in  my  remarks  upon  the  unprecedented 
and  irregular  course  of  Messrs.  Bangs  &  Co. — that  of  pushing  the  grad- 
uation too  far  in  advance  of  the  bridge  masonry  and  tunnels.  I  shall 
only  be  mindful  that  it  is  completed  at  the  same  time  as  the  tunnels  and 
the  bridges. 

18.  The  cross-ties  for  six  miles  of  the  road,  extending  as  far  as  Twenty- 
six  mile  Creek,  six  miles  from  Anderson,  are  in  place;  nine  hundred 
tons  of  iron,  sufficient  for  ten  miles  of  road,  have  been  delivered  at  An- 
derson, and  the  spikes  and  chairs  are  now  on  the  way.  A  force  is  en- 
gaged in  laying  cross-ties,  and  the  road  will  be  completed  to  Twenty-six 
Mile  Creek  as  soon  as  the  intervening  cut  before  mentioned  is  finished. 

19.  It  having  been  determined  recently  to  run  the  cars  through  to 
Pendleton  in  advance  of  the  masonry,  for  the  bridges  over  Twenty-six 
and  Twenty-three  Mile  Creeks,  which  intervene  ;  timbers  for  the  trestle 
work  as  a  substitute  for  the  permanent  bridges  over  these  water-courses 
have  been  contracted  for ;  contracts  for  the  cross-ties  between  Twenty- 
six  Mile  Creek  and  Pendleton  will  be  entered  into  on  the  15th  instant, 
and  timely  contracts  will  be  made  for  the  iron,  spikes  and  chairs  for  this 
portion  of  the  road.  These  arrangements  ensure  the  opening  of  the  road 
to  Pendleton  the  ensuing  year.  Beyond  Pendleton,  owing  to  the  great 
length  of  the  trestle  work  that  would  be  required  over  the  Seneca  bot- 
tom, it  is  not  thought  advisable  to  cross  that  stream  by  trestle  work  in 
advance  of  the  permanent  structure  of  a  covered  bridge,  supported  by 
masonry. 

20.  The  cost  of  the  trestle  work  over  Twenty-six  and  Twenty-three 
Mile  Creeks,  will  be  in  part  compensated  by  its  serving  for  false  works 
for  raising  the  permanent  bridges;  which  falseworks,  particularly  at 
Twenty-six  Mile  Creek,  would  cost  nearly  as  much  as  the  trestles  for  the 
support  of  the  trains.  The  false  works  must  be  constructed  to  a  height 
of  twenty-six  feet  below  the  grade  of  the  Road.  So  that  the  trestle 
work  for  the  running  of  the  trains  will  be  little  more  than  the  addition 
of  a  top  section  of  twenty-six  feet  in  height,  to  raise  the  false  works  to 
the  level  of  the  track. 

21.  The  following  is  a  statement  of  the  work  clone  from  the  1st  of 
April  to  the  1st  of  October,  rendered  in  cubic  yards,  viz:  In  South-Caro- 
lina, 300,013  cubic  yards  of  earth,  excavation  25,277  of  loose  rock, 
15,473  of  solid  rock,  955  of  tunnel  and  shaft  excavation,  339,773  of 
material  hauled,  1,460  of  square  drain  masonry,  160  of  bridge  masonry; 


12 

and  in  Georgia,  118,670  cubic  yards  of  earth  excavation,  13,718  of 
loose  rock,  28,939  of  solid  rock,  100  of  tunnel  excavation,  161,428  of 
material  hauled,   and  1,239  of  square  drain  masonry. 

This  statement  does  not  represent  fully  the  amount  of  work  which 
has  been  done  towards  the  completing  of  the  bridge  masonry,  nor  the 
amount  of  grading  which  might  have  been  accomplished ;  a  recurrence 
to  my  remarks  under  these  heads  will  show  why  it  does  not. 

22.  The  amount  of  work  remaining  to  be  done  in  South-Carolina 
and  Georgia,  will  appear  in  the  estimates  of  cost  under  their  respective 
heads.  The  line,  in  these  States,  has  been  carefully  revised  ;  some  im- 
portant changes  which  were  contemplated,  and  others  which  suggested 
themselves,  have  been  made  ;  and  every  measurement  necessary  to  accu- 
rate results  has  been  taken.  This  work  proved  to  be  most  tedious  and 
laborious,  much  more  so  than  would  have  been  required  for  an  original 
location,  and  has  occupied  the  unremitted  labours  of  a  party  of  Engi- 
neers, assisted  by  the  Resident  Engineers,  during  the  past  five  months. 
Upon  the  data  thus  obtained,  I  submit  the  following  estimate  of  the 
work  remaining  to  be  done,  the  details  of  which,  as  well  as  of  all  the 
estimates,  will  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Company  in  Charleston  : 

T.— IX  SOUTH-CAROLINA— 52  miles  484  feet. 

Graduation,         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  $417,108  00 

Tunnels  and  Shafts,           ------  512,11700 

Bridge  and  Arch  Masonry,             -  256,42100 

Square  Drains,  Slope  Walls  and  Cattle  Guards,  -         -  13,78100 

Bridge  Superstructure,          ------  50,047  00 

Railway  Superstructure,  including  Iron,  Chairs,  Spikes, 

Cross-ties  and  Laying,  -  385,568  00 
Ware  Houses,    Section  Masters'   Houses,  Wood   Sheds, 

Wells  and  Tanks,           .-__-_  32,000  00 

Contingent  Expenses,        ------  53,000  00 


Total,         -----..      $1,720,042  00 

II.— IN  GEORGIA— 16  miles,  5,230  feet. 

Graduation,                    -          -         -          -         -         -         -  $331,313  00 

Tunnels,           --------  264,513  00 

Bridge  and  Arch  Masonry,            -  73,430  00 

Square  Drains,  Slope  Walls,  and  Cattle  Guards,           -  33,672  00 

Bridge  Superstructure,           ------  7,700  00 


13 

Railway  Superstructure,   including  Rails,  Chairs,  Spikes, 

Cross-ties,  and  Laying,  -  149,976  00 

Ware   Houses,  Section  Masters'  Houses,   Wood   Sheds, 

Wells  and  Tanks,      -  ....  7,50jO  00 

Contingent  Expenses,  -         -         -  .      -         -         -         17,000  00 

Total,  -  $885,104  00 

23.  The  work,  both  in  South-Carolina  and  Georgia  may  be  charac- 
terised as  heavy,  and  may  startle  those  not  accustomed  to  consider  such 
large  aggregates.  But  when  it  is  considered  that  the  passage  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  is  achieved ;  and  when  the  line  is  brought  into  comparison 
with  that  of  other  roads  penetrating  the  Alleghanies,  the  result  will  be 
found  so  much  in  its  favor  as  to  excite  surprise  that  the  cost  is  no 
greater.  The  chief  cost  in  South-Carolina  is  incurred  between  Cane 
Creek  and  the  Chattuga  River  ;  on  this  portion  of  the  Road  the  Stump 
House  Mountain,  with  its  offshoots,  stretch  across  the  track,  two  of 
which,  besides  the  main  mountain  are  pierced  by  tunnels  heretofore 
described,  and  much  cutting  and  filling  is  encountered.  In  Georgia,  the 
expensive  portion  lies  between  the  Chattuga  and  Clayton — on  this  sec- 
tion the  line  passes  from  Dick's  Creek  into  the  valley  of  the  Warwoman, 
and  from  the  Warwoman,  on  to  the  head  waters  of  Sticoa.  Having  to 
tunnel  through  the  dividing  ridges  between  these  water  causes,  and  being 
necessarily  thrown  upon  a  high  level,  much  excavation  and  embankment 
is  encountered  in  its  ascent  up  the  Warwoman,  and  its  passage  across  the 
streams  making  into  the  Sticoa.  On  attaining  Rabun  Gap,  two  and  three- 
fourths  miles  west  of  Clayton,  although  it  is  the  summit  and  culminating 
point  of  the  Road,  the  mountains  on  all  sides  are  seen  in  the  distance- 
The  difficulties  of  the  Road  are  overcome,  and  a  champaign  country  con- 
tiguous to  the  line  succeeds  the  bold  and  rugged  features  which  have 
hitherto  characterised  it,  and  the  line  passes  into  the  valley  of  the  Ten- 
nessee River,  upon  a  level  with  the  Gap.  Pursuing  this  vallev,  in  close 
proximity  to  the  river,  the  course  of  which  is  twice  changed  by  short 
canals,  it  reaches,  without  further  difficulty,  the  "  Locust  Stake,"  a  point 
in  the  line  dividing  Georgia  and  North-Carolina. 

24.  The  location  of  the  Road  lying  in  North-Carolina  and  Tennessee 
has  also  undergone  revision.  The  centre  line  has  been  carefully  re-ad- 
justed, leveled  and  laid  off  in  stations  of  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  from 
beginning  to  end  ;  cross  or  transversal  sections  have  been  made  at  every 
variation  in  the  slope  of  the  ground;  in  many  cases  eight  cross  sections 
have  been  taken  in  a  station  ;  every  measurement  and  observation  has 
been  made,  necessary  to  an  accurate  calculation  of  the  amount  of  exca- 


14 

vation  and  embankment ;  the  tunneling,  bridge  masonry,  culvert,  slope 
and  retaining  walls,  cattle  guards,  road  crossings,  changes  of  road,  and 
all  the  minor  works  incident  to,  and  entering  into  a  proper  consideration 
of  the  cost  of  the  Railroad,  have  been  accurately  estimated. 

25.  In  North-Carolina,  the  Road  is  laid  in  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Tennessee  River,  which,  taken  as  a  whole,  presents  a  very  favourable  route. 
It  is  remarkable  for  its  freedom  from  high  bounding  cliffs  which  charac- 
terise every  other  water  course  laying  on  the  western  slope  of  the 
Alleghany.  The  valley  is  formed  of  narrow  strips  of  low  ground  and 
alternate  spaces,  where  the  mountain  sides  encroach  upon  the  stream. 
The  character  of  these  hill  sides  is  favorable  to  the  object  in  view. 
They  rarely  expose  a  vertical  cliff  of  rock  on  which  the  grading  will 
have  to  be  effected.  In  order  to  avoid  the  circuit  of  the  river  at  some 
points,  save  distance,  and  place  the  line  on  more  advantageous  ground, 
it  was  deemed  advisable  to  lay  the  line  through  the  necks  of  several 
bends,  and  cross  the  river  several  times. 

26.  The  passage  of  the  Smoky  Mountain,  which  comprises  a  distance 
of  twelve  miles — three  in  North-Carolina  and  nine  in  Tennessee — involves 
much  less  expense  and  difficulty  than  has  been  supposed.  The  least 
radius  of  curvature  is  955  feet,  except  at  three  points,  where  it  was 
found  advisable  to  reduce  it  to  716  feet.  This,  however,  is  116  feet 
greater  than  the  mininum  radius  of  curviture  of  the  Road.  The  length 
of  curved  and  straight  lines  in  the  pass  is,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  equal — 
that  is,  six  miles  of  curve,  and  six  miles  of  straight  line.  But  one  cliff 
extends  into  the  water,  and  that  is  passed  by  a  tunnel  of  100  feet,  with 
approaches  involving  an  excavation  of  only  3,338  cubic  yards.  The 
mountain  sides,  for  about  five  miles,  present  the  usual  appearance  of 
loose  rock  intermixed  with  earth,  in  some  instances  overlaying  solid  rock. 
For  the  remainder  of  the  distance,  they  consist  almost  wholly  of  sloping 
surfaces  formed  of  fragments  of  rock,  which  have  apparently  been  de- 
tached from  higher  points  of  the  mountain,  and  rolled  down  in  their 
present  position. 

The  grading  along  these  slopes  will  not  be  difficult  of  execution.  The 
Road-bed  will  be  formed  of  the  loose  rock,  which,  reduced  to  a  proper 
size  by  the  blast  and  the  sledge,  will  be  laid  with  some  regularity  on  the 
lower  side,  at  points  where  such  a  precaution  may  be  necessary  to 
protect  it  from  injury  from  freshets.  Through  Rabbit  Creek,  about 
midway,  and  Summit  Creek,  three  miles  from  the  eastern  end  of  the 
mountain,  wagon  roads  from  the  line  may  be  opened,  at  a  moderate 
expense,  to  the  turnpike  which  passes  over  the  mountain. 

27.  There  will  be  required  in  North-Carolina  seven  tunnels  and  six- 


15 

teen  bridges,  the  location,  length,  and  height  of  which  will  be  found  in 
the  accompanying  tabular  statements,  marked  (A  and  B). 

The  materials  through  which  the  tunnels  pass,  consist  chiefly  of  com- 
pact sandstone,  and  hard  slaty  sandstone. 

In  fitting  the  line  around  several  bends  of  the  river,  to  avoid  heavy 
rock-cutting,  it  was  found  advisable  to  adopt  a  curvature  of  twenty-seven 
feet  less  radius  than  the  minimum. 

The  cost  of  this  section  of  the  Road  will  be  as  follows,  viz : 

III— IN  NORTH-CAROLINA— 73  miles,  2,012  feet. 

Graduation, $993,722  00 

Tunnels, -         -  176,705  00 

Bridge  and  Arch  Masonry, -  197,44100 

Square  Drains,  Slope  Walls  and  Cattle  Guards,             -  39,507  00 

Bridge  Superstructure, -  158,355  00 

Roadway  Superstructure,  including  Iron,  Chairs,  Spikes, 

Cross-ties,  and  Laying,  -  -  -  -  -  666,560  00 
Ware    Houses,  Section  Masters'  Houses,  Wood  Sheds, 

Wells  and  Tanks,          ------  24,000  00 

Contingent  Expenses,        ------  74,000  00 


Total,  -------      $2,330,790  00 

28.  The  Railroad  in  Tennessee,  after  emerging  from  the  Smoky  Moun- 
tains, the  passage  of  which  is  described  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  con- 
tinues in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee  River,  passing  alternately  through 
long  stretches  of  low  grounds  and  along  the  slopes  of  the  hills  and 
mountain  sides  which  occasionally  impinge  on  the  stream.  On  this  por- 
tion of  the  line  no  difficulty  occurs  worthy  of  note.  Eleven  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  Smoky  Mountains,  and  twenty  and  a  quarter  from  North- 
Carolina,  the  line  leaves  the  river,  and  finds  a  very  eligible  route  to 
Knoxville,  through  and  across  the  waters  of  Little  Four  Mile,  Four  Mile, 
Six  Mile,  Nine  Mile,  and  Pistol  Creeks,  Little  River,  and  Stock  and  Knob 
Creeks. 

There  are  on  this  section  of  the  Road  one  tunnel  100  feet  in  length, 
and  four  bridges,  the  length  of  which  will  be  found  in  table  (B)  before 
referred  to.  Minimum  radius  of  curvature,  716  feet.  The  cost  of  the 
Road  will  be — 

IV.— IN  TENNESSEE— 53  miles,  113  feet. 

Graduation,         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -     $756,987  00 

Tunnels,  ..-----..  5,185  00 


16 

Bridge  and  Arch.  Masonry,            -         -         -         -         <•  123,819  00 

Square  Drains,  Slope  Walls  and  Cattle  Guards,           -  36,915  00 

Bridge  Superstructure,          -         -         -         -         -         -  61,325  00 

Roadway  Superstructure,  including  Chairs,  Spikes,  Cross 

ties  and  Laying,  --....  4*74,687  00 
Ware  Houses,   Section  Masters'  Houses,   Wood  Sheds, 

Wells  and  Tanks,          ..--..  24,000  00 

Contingent  Expenses,        ------  54,000  00 


Total, $1,536,918  00 

SUMMARY  COST  OF  THE  RAILROAD. 

1.  Amount  paid  out  and  due  to  the  1st  November,  1856,  $1,102,823  00 

2.  Estimated  cost  of  work  remaining  to  be  done  in  South- 

Carolina,      -------         1,720,042  00 

3.  Estimated  cost  of  work  remaining  to  be  done  in  Georgia,     885,104  00 

4.  Estimated  cost  of  the  Railroad  in  North-Carolina,         2,330,790  00 

5.  Estimated  cost  of  the  Railroad  in  Tennessee,   -         -     1,536,918  00 


Total,      -------  $7,575,677  00 

6.  Cost  of  Work-shops,  Engine  and  Car  Sheds,  &c,  150,000  00 

7.  Fifty  Locomotives,         .---.-  500,000  00 

8.  Six  hundred  Burden  Cars.          -         -         .  360,000  00 

9.  Thirty  Coaches,    -----                  .  75,000  00 

10.  Baggage  and  Mail  Cars,    -----  16,000  00 

11.  Fifty  Gravel  Cars,         ------  15,000  00 


Total,       -------       $8,691,677  00 

29.  I  have  endeavored  to  embrace  in  the  foregoing  estimates  every 
expenditure  that  is  likely  to  occur.  I  feel  confident  that  the  quantities 
which  compose  the  several  items  are  correct,  and  that  the  prices  affixed 
are  ample  and  sufficient  to  complete  the  work,  and  meet  the  contingency, 
should  it  arise,  of  an  increase  in  the  price  of  labour  and  provisions,  which 
has  proved  in  many  cases  to  be  a  fruitful  source  of  cost,  exceeding  esti- 
mates. Wherever  there  has  been  any  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the 
excavations,  I  have  assumed  it  to  be  solid  rock.  Although  the  geologi- 
cal formation  of  the  country  and  the  character  of  the  cuts  which  have 
been  opened,  would  remove  all  doubt,  and  afford  every  assurance  of  ex- 
emption from  springs  of  water  in  the  tunnels,  and  deep  rock  cuts,  and 
freedom  from  hill  slips  and  land  slides,  I  have,  nevertheless,  provided  for 
their  possible  occurrence.    It  has  been  my  aim  to  make  a  full  and  liberal 


17 

estimate,  and  to  place  before  you  all   the  difficulties  attending  the  work. 

1  am  not  conscious  of  having  omitted  anything,  and  feel  entirely  confi- 
dent that  the  road  may  be  constructed  within  my  estimate.  Regarding 
the  work  as  of  equal  importance  to  any  in  the  country,  I  have  estimated 
for  a  "first-class"  road.  I  feel  confident  it  will  prove  to  be  so— in  its 
trade  and  income — in  its  commercial  and  political  influences,  and  in  its 
combination  of  all  the  advantages  now  universally  conceded  to  Rail 
Roads. 

The  motive  power  and  equipment  provided  for  in  the  estimate,  is  ade- 
quate to  the  transportation  of  500  tons  daily,  and  to  the  running  of  two 
dailv  passenger  trains.  This  may  not  be  sufficient  for  the  first  year's  opera- 
tions, but  it  is  a  greater  amount  than  is  usually  embraced  in  original  es- 
timates. Indeed,  "the  rolling  stock"  is  frequently  omitted  altogether  in 
first  estimates,  the  general  custom  being  to  anticipate  the  receipts  of  the 
road,  and  draw  on  its  income  in  advance,  for  locomotives  and  cars. 

30.  In  the  general  construction  of  the  road,  the  material  and  work- 
manship has  been  designed  with  a  view  to  the  utmost  stability  and  per- 
manence. 

The  masonr}7  is  of  the  description  denominated  "  first  class,"  and  the 
superstructure  of  the  bridges  combine  a  just  reciprocal  action  of  timber 
and  iron,  giving  by  their  union  great  strength  and  durability. 

The  Railway  track  consists  of  a  T  rail  of  60  lbs.  to  the  yard,  with 
wrought  iron  chairs,  spiked  upon  cross-ties  8  feet  long,  7x8  inches,  placed 

2  feet  apart  from  centre  to  centre,  bedded  in  broken  stone  ballast,  in 
North  Carolina,  and  Georgia,  where  liable  to  be  deranged  by  frost. 

The  wood  sheds,  station  houses,  warehouses,  engine  houses,  car  sheds, 
shops,  section-masters'  houses,  and  houses  for  the  watchmen  for  the 
bridges,  are  all  provided  for,  and  are  designed  to  be  amply  capacious 
and  of  the  most  permanent  description,  of  wood  or  brick,  accordino-  as 
circumstances  or  locality  may  dictate. 

Wherever  trestle  work  entered  into  the  original  plan  of  the  work,  it 
has  been  dispensed  with,  and  superseded  by  embankments  and  perma- 
nent bridges. 

31.  Upon  the  whole  line  of  the  Rail  Road,  from  west  to  east,  being  in 
the  direction  of  the  heaviest  traffic,  there  will  be  no  grade  exceeding 
45  feet  to  the  mile  ;  and  from  east  to  west,  being  in  the  direction  of  the 
lightest  trade,  there  will  be  no  grade  exceeding  70  feet  to  the  mile. 

The  length  of  straight  line  is  115  miles,  4,241  feet,  and  of  curvature 
79  miles,  3,598  feet.     The  minimum  radius  of  curvature  is  600  feet, 
which  has  not  been  departed  from,  except  in  several  instances  before  re- 
fore  referred  to,  where  the  radius  was  reduced  to  574  feet, 
2 


2,151  feet  abov< 

3  tide  water. 

2,168 

u 

2,187 

u 

2,340 

" 

2,371 

u 

2,218 

u 

3,024 

u 

2,337 

u 

2,700 

u 

2,325 

(( 

18 

32.  The  grades  on  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Rail  Road,  going  east- 
ward, are  68  feet  to  the  mile,  on  the  Virginia  Central  Rail  Road,  72 
feet,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  116,  on  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  Rail  Road,  53  feet,  on  the  Sunberry  and  Erie  Rail  Road,  52 
feet,  and  on  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail  Road,  60  feet  to  the  mile. — 
The  minimum  radius  of  curvature  is  about  the  same  on  all  these  roads 
as  on  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road. 

33.  The  following  is  the  elevation  above  tide  on  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail 
Road,  compared  with  the  heights  of  other  Gaps,  through  which  rail 
roads  have  been  built,  or  are  in  contemplation. 

Elevation  of  Rabun  Gap, 

"       of  Butt  Mountain  Gap, 

"       of  Gap  Creek  Gap, 

"       of  Saluda  Gap, 

"       of  High  Tower's  Gap, 

"       of  Reedy  Patch  Gap, 

"       of  Laquey's  Gap, 

"       of  Swannanora  Gap, 

"       of  Virginia  and  Tennessee  R.  R., 

"       of  Covington  &  Ohio  Rail  Road, 

"       of  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road,  2,626 

"       of  Pennsylvania  Central  R.  R,,        2,160 

34.  The  length  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road  is  195  miles,  759  feet; 
at  Knoxville,  it  unites  with  the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  the  East  Ten- 
nessee and  Virginia,  and  the  Knoxville  and  Kentucky  Rail  Roads.  The 
last  mentioned  Road  connects  with  the  Danville  and  Lexington,  and  Lex- 
ington and  Covington  Rail  Roads ;  thus  forming  a  line  to  Cincinnati — 
from  which  there  are  arms  thrown  off  to  the  Ohio,  at  Louisville  and  Cai- 
ro, and  to  New  Madrid,  on  the  Mississippi.  Assuming  Cincinnati  as  the 
starting-point,  as  in  fact' it  is,  of  all  the  rail  roads  between  the  Ohio  and 
Atlantic  border,  the  distance  to  Charleston  will  be  about  the  same  as  to 
Richmond,  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia,  with  the  advantage  on  the  side 
of  Charleston  of  an  hour's  sail  to  the  ocean,  against  probably  several 
days  sail,  or  the  expense  of  a  steam  tug  to  an  offing  from  either  place. 
To  New  York,  the  distance  in  favor  of  Charleston  is  200  miles,  and  to 
Norfolk  80  miles. 

35.  From  the  brief  description  here  given  of  the  character  of  the 
route  proposed  for  the  Rail  Road,  and  the  hasty  parallel  I  have  drawn, 
it  must  be  apparent  to  all,  that,  by  means  of  such  moderate  grades,  low 
summit,  equal  curvature  and  distance,  and  small  extent  of  mountain  re- 
gion, it  might  not  only  challenge  a  comparison  with,  but  might  justly 

2* 


19 

claim  preeminence  over,  all  other  lines  of  rail   road   communications, 
whether  executed  or  projected,  between  the  eastern  and  western  waters. 

36.  The  object,  especially  aimed  at  by  this  improvement,  is  to  put 
Charleston  in  direct  communication  with  the  Ohio  River,  to  draw  the 
vast  trade  by  the  way-side,  now  diverted  to  points  less  congenial,  and  to 
enable  her,  by  a  line  possessing  superior  advantages,  not  only  to  grasp 
the  rich  stores  south  of  the  Ohio,  but  to  compete  for  the  trade  north  of 
the  Ohio  to  the  lakes,  and  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri. 

That  she  will  be  enabled  to  do  so  successfully,  I  entertain  no  doubt ; 
for  the  trade  south  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  extending  west  on  a  parallel 
with  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  across  the  Mississippi  River,  even  to  the 
confines  of  civilization,  from  its  geographical  position  must  come  to  Char- 
leston, and  may  be  looked  to  with  confidence,  both  as  a  profit  to  the 
Road,  and  an  increase  of  the  trade  of  the  City.  At  Cincinnati,  with 
rail  road  distance  about  the  same  to  Richmond,  Baltimore  and  Philadel- 
phia, with  the  advantages  of  her  greater  proximity  to  the  ocean,  Char- 
leston may  boldly  enter  into  competition,  with  a  confidence  of  partici- 
pating in  a  full  share  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  millions  of  trade, 
import  and  export,  which  centers  there.  On  the  north  of  the  Ohio,  taking 
Indianapolis  as  a  centre,  and  the  distance  to  Charleston  as  a  radius,  it 
will  be  found  by  sweeping  the  circle  around  the  coast,  that  Charleston 
maintains  her  equality  of  distance  with  Richmond,  Norfolk,  Baltimore 
and  Philadelphia,  reckoning  to  the  Atlantic  border,  and  maintains  her 
advantage  of  rail  road  distance  over  New  York.  Surely,  then,  she  may 
count  on  the  extension  of  her  trade  to  the  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  from 
Louisville,  as  tar  as  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  east,  reckoning  from  India- 
napolis, as  far  as  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  to  the  west  and  north-west,  to 
an  indefinite  extent,  embracing  the  upper  waters  of  the  Missouri.  But  for 
those  who  may  not  be  disposed  to  take  so  wide  a  range — though  I  con- 
sider it  within  legitimate  bounds — I  would  submit  that  the  "  Blue  Rid<re 
Rail  Road,"  as  the  connecting  link  to  this  vast  chain  of  railway  commu- 
nication, now  in  progress  in  the  north-west,  and  destined  ultimately  to 
reach  the  Pacific,  will,  at  least,  be  to  Charleston  and  South  Carolina 
what  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  is  to  Baltimore  and  Maryland, 
the  Pennsylvania  Central  Rail  Road  to  Philadelphia  and  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail  Road  to  the  State  and  City  of  New 
York — a  copious  source  of  income — a  vast  influx  of  trade,  and  an  im- 
mense expansion  of  commerce. 

37.  The  increase  in  the  value  of  property  in  Charleston,  and  in  the 
State  generally,  consequent  upon  the  comparatively  small  amount  of 
trade  derived  from  the  South  Carolina  Rail  Road,  may  serve  somewhat 


20 

as  an  illustration  of  the  value  of  the  trade,  and  the  concomitant  benefits 
of  the  "Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road."  I  find  on  this  subject,  an  article  in 
DeBow's  Review,  which,  for  useful  statistical  information,  and  its  able 
advocacy  of  the  South  and  its  institutions,  is  deserving  a  place  on  every 
Southern  man's  table.  The  statement  to  which  I  refer,  will  be  found  in 
a  volume  recently  published,  •'  embracing  a  series  of  papers,  condensed 
from  the  earlier  volumes  of  DeBow's  Review,"  and  is  as  follows  :  "A  ref- 
erence to  the  statistics  of  Carolina  roads  will  show  that  property  and 
trade  has,  within  the  last  fifteen  years,  and  since  the  completion  of  our 
rail  road,  increased  in  a  greater  degree  on  the  Neck,  in  Colleton,  Barn- 
well, Orangeburg  and  Edgefield,  than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  State, 
&c.  "  I  shall  show  that  trade  has  expanded,  and  the  value  of  real  es- 
tate increased,  since  the  establishment  of  the  rail  road.  Any  one  who 
will  make  the  inquiry,  will  find  that  land  all  along  the  road  to  Hamburg 
and  Columbia,  for  five  miles  each  side  of  it,  has  appreciated  in  value  since 
its  construction,  50,  500,  and  in  some  cases,  5,000  per  cent.,  and  where 
before  its  construction,  there  were  not  twenty  thousand  dollars  of  trade, 
there  is  now  upwards  of  $250,000.  The  valuation  of  property  on  the 
South  Carolina  Rail  Road,  compared  before  and  since  its  construction, 
shows  1830,-111,337,012;  1846,  $19,075,157 ;  gain,  17,638,154.  The 
city  of  Charleston  shows  real  estate,  1830,  $8,366,914;  1840,  $13,527,- 
743  ;  gain,  $5,160,829.  This  increase  in  trade  and  the  value  of  real  es- 
tate, I  insist,  has  been  principally  attributable  to  the  introduction  of  rail 
roads,  and  if  the  saving  were  added  to  the  gain,  the  advantages  would 
appear  almost  inappreciable."  This  estimate,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
embraces  the  period  between  1830  and  1840,  sixteen  years  ago.  I  leave 
it  to  those,  having  access  to  the  assessment  books,  to  bring  it  up  to  this 
time.     The  increase  must  be  enormous. 

While  on  this  subject  of  the  increase  of  the  value  of  property,  and  the 
new  stimuli  given  to  trade,  by  the  construction  of  rail  ro«ds,  I  beg  leave 
to  cite  one  or  two  examples,  showing  the  results  of  railroads  in  other 
States.  For  instance,  the  value  of  real  and  personal  estate  in  Boston  was 
increased  $168,540,244  from  1841  to  1S50.  In  a  single  year,  the  real 
estate  of  Mobile  advanced  $5,000,000.  In  New  Jevsey,  where  the  rail 
roads  are  constructed  mainly  for  transit  through  the  State,  the  increase  in 
real  estate  is  estimated  at  $150,000,000.  In  Virginia,  "  owing  chiefly  to 
the  impulse  imparted  to  the  industry  of  the  State,  by  the  facilities  which 
her  public  works  have  afforded  to  her  citizens  for  transporting  their  produce 
to  market,"  the  value  of  lands  in  the  State  has  been  increased  $62,- 
749,718  from  1838  to  1850.  "Portions  of  the  State,  which  twenty 
years  ago  were  scarcely  inhabited,  are  now  thickly  settled,  wrell  cultiva- 


21 

ted  and  prosperous."  See  an  extract  from  Governor  Floyd's  message,  in 
DeBow's  Review,  before  referred  to,  page  439. 

Innumerable  instances  could  be  cited,  going  to  show,  as  regards  rail 
roads,  that  speculative  views  yielding  to  realities,  predictions  verified  by 
corresponding  results,  and  theory  reduced  to  practice,  have  established  a 
formula,  by  which  the  advantages  of  rail  roads  can  now  be  deduced  be- 
forehand, and  carried  out  into  figures,  with  almost  the  certainty  aud  ac- 
curacy of  an  arithmetical  problem.  It  is  now  a  fact,  "  stubborn,  true 
and  inevitable,"  as  a  mathematical  demonstration,  that  the  wealth  of  a 
country  keeps  pace  with  the  progress  of  its  rail  roads,  that  they  are  an 
ever-increasing  and  inexhaustible  mine  of  wealth,  that  labor,  the  old 
standard  of  the  wealth  of  nations,  has  given  place  to  the  number  of 
miles  run  by  the  locomotive.  A  new  era  has  dawned  in  political  econo- 
my, when  rail  roads  mete  out  the  wealth,  and  the  census  of  a  country 
may  be  taken  by  the  number  of  miles  of  superstructure.  Governor 
Floyd  has  shown  how  they  are  filling  up  the  wilds  of  Virginia,  and  create 
"  a  tax  paying  fund,  which  will  constitute  through  all  time  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  permanent  capital  of  the  commonwealth."  And  Mr.  De 
Bow,  the  value  they  have  given  to  the  "pine  barrens"  of  South  Caro- 
lina. 

iUthough  I  have  these  unerring  principles  of  calculation  before  me,  I 
do  not  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  transcend  my  province,  and  enter  into  the 
details  of  an  estimate  of  the  probable  dividends  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail 
Road.  I  will  say,  however,  that  I  have  no  doubt  of  an  immediate  in- 
come, for  a  large  trade  is  now  ready  to  take  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail  Road 
to  Charleston,  as  soon  as  completed.  A  legitimate  estimate,  based  on  the 
foregoing  considerations,  with  a  view  to  arrive  at  the  vast  amount  of 
the  commerce  of  the  region  coming  within  the  influence  of  the  Rail 
Road,  when  filled  with  inhabitants,  would  excite  the  incredulity  of  the 
most  sanguine,  by  results  far  transcending  what  we  are  accustomed  to 
contemplate.  And  that,  under  its  creative  influence,  tillage,  in  the  moun- 
tain region,  would  take  the  place  of  grazing,  the  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try would  be  hastened,  wild  lands  cleared,  the  arable  surface  widened, 
population  extended,  and  the  annual  product  of  land  and  labor  rapidlv 
and  greatly  augmented.  Internal  commerce  would  progress  in  a  cor- 
responding ratio,  giving  rise  to  the  speedy  growth  of  towns  alonp-  the 
line,  villages  in  the  interior,  and  a  more  improved  and  extended  system 
of  roads,  connecting  the  settlements  and  counties  with  each  other,  and 
with  the  principal  depots  on  the  line  of  the  road.  An  augmented  and 
steadily  increasing  annual  surplus  would  reward  the  labors  of  the  people, 
in  all  that  part  of  the  State  through  which  the  rail  road  passes  ;  and  at 


22 

the  same  time,  the  public  resources  and  power  would  keep  pace  with  the 
progress  of  individual  prosperity  and  wealth.  And  besides  all  these 
manifest  results,  there  is  another  active  influence  it  would  exert,  not  less 
important  to  the  whole  South  than  to  South  Carolina — that  is,  the  pro- 
duction of  a  large  foreign  trade,  which  must  necessarily  spring  up  from 
the  great  excess  of  the  trade  which  would  flow  from  the  west,  over  and 
above  the  domestic  demand.  This  excess  will  remain  as  a  basis  of  a 
foreign  trade ;  so  that,  apart  from  all  other  considerations,  discarding 
dividends  even,  who  can  doubt  that,  if  carried  to  completion,  the  rail  road 
would  re-imburse  its  cost  manv  times  over,  in  the  activity  and  vigor  it 
would  give  to  the  trade  of  Charleston,  in  the  extension  of  her  foreign 
and  internal  commerce,  in  the  increase  of  the  agricultural  productions  of 
the  State,  and  in  the  rise  of  real  estate  ? 

38.  The  project  of  connecting  Charleston  by  Railroad  with  Louisville 
and  Cincinnati,  in  which  the  Blue  Ridge  Railroad  forms  the  most  impor- 
tant link,  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  originated  in  Cincinnati.  This 
fact,  so  commendatory  of  the  scheme,  I  learn  from  one  of  a  series  of 
letters  so  late  as  1852,  addressed  by  Prof.  Edward  D.  Mansfield,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Editor  of  the  Railroad  Recorder,  to  Job  R.  Tyson,  Esq.,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, on  the  Railway  connections  of  Philadelphia  with  the  Central 
West.  Mr.  Mansfield,  in  enumerating  the  great  lines  from  Cincinnati  to 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  says,  "  The  grand  iron  highway  from  Cincinnati 
to  Charleston,  S.  C,  was  planned  in  this  city,  in  1836,  and  the  late  Dr. 
Daniel  Drake,  Governor  Vance,  of  Ohio,  the  late  General  Hayne,  of 
South-Carolina,  the  late  General  James  Taylor,  of  Kentucky,  Judge  Hall, 
of  this  city,  and  other  eminent  citizens,  were  zealous  coadjutors.  In 
this  enterprize,  and  with  such  associates,  longo  intervallo,  I  took  a  zeal- 
ous, if  not  an  efficient  part.  I  looked  enough  into  the  subject  to  be  tho- 
roughly convinced  that  it  was  one  of  the  most  important  enterprizes 
which  could  engage  the  attention  of  the  commercial  public."  We  have 
here  the  opinion,  of  not  only  a  disinterested,  but  one  of  the  best  informed 
and  most  enlightened  men  in  the  country,  on  the  subject  of  Railway 
connections  and  their  influences. 

39.  Although  the  work  was  planned  in  1836,  a»  Mr.  Mansfield  informs 
us,  at  Cincinnati,  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati  had  held  meetings  and 
resolved  upon  "  the  extension  of  a  Railroad  from  the  Ohio  River  into  the 
State  of  South-Carolina,"  in  1835.  For  I  have  before  me  the  proceed- 
ings of  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Charleston,  held  on  the  22nd  day  of 
October,  1835,  responding  to  "the  proceedings  of  the  citizens  of  Cin 
cinnati,"  and  the  proceedings  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Charleston, 
held  at  an  earlier  day  in  October.     The  result  of  these  proceedings  and 


23 

others  which  were  held  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  led  to  the 
obtainment  of  charters  in  South-Carolina,  North-Carolina,  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky,  for  the  "  Louisville,  Cincinnati  and  Charleston  Railroad," 
in  1836,  and  subsequently,  in  1837,  Acts  of  the  same  States  were  passed, 
conferring  banking  privileges.  The  records  of  1836  are  most  luminous 
and  interesting.  On  the  4th  of  July,  the  great  Knoxville  Convention 
was  held,  numbering  380  delegates  from  nine  States — never  did  any 
improvement  combine  so  many  interests,  or  call  forth  such  an  array 
of  talent  in  its  behalf.  The  illustrious  Calhoun,  one  of  the  great  trium- 
virate whose  talents,  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  balanced  and 
held  in  check  the  powers  of  the  Federal  Government,  took  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  public  meetings  and  newspaper  discussions,  exhibiting  in 
this,  as  in  all  other  subjects  which  he  touched,  his  wonderful  prescience 
and  sagacity,  and,  with  his  characteristic  zeal  and  ardour,  actually  doffed 
his  senatorial  robes,  and  took  the  field  as  a  rodman.  I  am  indebted  to 
Col.  Win.  Sloan  for  an  interesting  reminiscence  of  this  great  man,  to 
which  I  beg  leave  to  refer.     (App.  No.  1.) 

The  company  was  organized  in  1837,  and  Gen.  Hayne  appointed 
President.  The  most  elaborate  surveys  were  made,  and  the  route  proved 
to  be  practicable  and  feasible,  at  a  cost  within  what  it  was  supposed  the 
magnitude  and  importance  of  the  work  would  justify.  But  the  failure 
of  the  United  States  Bank,  and  other  causes  combining,  signalized  the 
early  days  of  this  company  as  an  era  of  unparalleled  commercial  dis- 
tress, which  paralyzed  every  branch  of  industry,  and  prostrated  not  only 
this  enterprise,  but  almost  every  improvement  in  the  country  sunk  under 
its  pressure,  some  to  rise  again,  others  have  never  recovered  from  the 
blow,  and  have  long  since  past  into  the  catalogue  of  things  forgotten. 
But  not  so  in  regard  to  the  "  extension  of  a  Railroad  from  the  Ohio 
River  to  Charleston." 

From  its  first  inception,  twenty  odd  years  ago,  it  has  never  ceased  to 
engage  the  attention  of  the  people  of  this  State  and  of  the  West.  There 
have  been  times  within  that  period,  when  the  deepest  and  most  intense 
interest  prevailed  upon  the  subject,  and  at  those  times  some  of  the 
most  eminent  citizens  of  the  State  and  of  the  country  have  taken  part 
in  the  deliberations  and  discussions  which  it  elicited.  No  improvement 
has  ever  undergone  such  thorough  and  searching  investigations.  Whe- 
ther upon  the  broad  and  enlightened  view  of  its  commercial  and  political 
importance,  nationally,  its  bearing  upon  State  policy,  its  binding  influ- 
ence upon  Southern  institutions,  or  the  narrow  policy  of  a  monied  insti- 
tution, the  public  archives  exhibit,  in  regard  to  it,  evidences  of  perse- 
vering and  laborious  research,  unparalelled  in  the  history  of  the  State. 


m 

The  companies  incorporated  for  Railroads  from  Louisville  and  Cin- 
cinnati to  Knoxville,  have  been  cheered  and  stimulated  in  their  progress 
by  the  fond  recollections  of  the  past;  the  undying  eloquence  of  the 
lamented  Gen.  Hayne,  the  deep  researches  of  the  lamented  Col.  Bland- 
ing,  (whose  essays  pourtrayed  with  the  inspiration  of  a  prophet  what  has 
come  to  pass,)  have  never  ceased  to  act  on  the  public  mind.  I  might 
enumerate  others  of  the  illustrious  dead  who  foreshadowed  the  impor- 
tance of  this  great  work.  There  are  also  many  living  who  took  an 
active  part,  and  contributed  largely  in  bringing  it  forward  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  country,  among  whom  stands  foremost  Col.  Memminger,  so 
eminently  distinguished  as  the  Commissioner  from  South-Carolina,  to 
North-Carolina,  Tennessee,  and  Kentucky. 

The  spirit  infused  into  this  great  scheme  by  the  great  and  distinguished 
men  who  first  embarked  in  it,  has  never  died ;  their  deliberations  and 
resolves  have  descended  as  a  rich  inheritance  ;  the  wisdom  of  their  coun- 
sels have  been  vindicated  by  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  both  following 
out  the  original  design  of  the  old  "  Louisville,  Cincinnati  and  Charleston 
Railroad ; "  Kentucky  in  her  two  lines  from  Danville  to  Louisville  and 
Covington;  and  Tennessee,  in  her  road  from  Danville  to  Knoxville,  and 
in  the  aid  she  has  so  generously  extended  to  the  Blue  Ridge  Railroad 
Company. 

The  incorporation  of  this  Company  by  South-Carolina,  its  subsequent 
successful  organization,  the  space  it  has  occupied  in  the  public  eye,  the 
loud  and  repeated  calls  for  the  resumption  of  the  work,  conspire  to  shew 
that  a  connection  of  Charleston  with  Louisville  and  Cincinnati  has  lost 
nothing  of  its  original  importance,  and  is  still  a  cherished  and  favourite 
enterprise  with  the  people  of  the  State.  An  interest  as  lively,  as  deep, 
as  vital,  is  now  felt  as  to  the  result,  as  at  any  former  period.  The  able 
and  elaborate  reports  of  committees  to  the  conventions,  to  which  I  have 
referred,  held  twenty  years  ago,  present  the  subject  in  all  its  aspects,  and 
shew  that  it  is  no  ephemeral  scheme — like  many  gotten  up  with  no 
better  result  than  to  distract  public  attention.  Upon  a  theme  which,  for 
a  long  series  of  years,  has  engaged  so  large  a  share  of  public  attention,  it 
is  difficult  to  present  any  views  that  would  not  be  familiar  to  every  intel- 
ligent and  reflecting  man  for  whom  the  subject  possesses  any  interest. 
Surely  no  farther  development  of  the  extensive  utility  and  vast  impor- 
tance of  the  undertaking  can  be  necessary. 

The  little  that  I  have  said  falls  far  short  of  that  which  it  is  conceived 
it  demands,  and  is  far  less  than  it  admits. 

The  line  is  now  designated  by  two  Divisions,  cut  up  into  Residencies, 
with  a  Principal  Assistant  Engineer  in  charge  of  each  Division,  and  an 


25 

Assistant  Engineer  in  charge  of  a  Residency,  the  length  of  the  Resi- 
dencies being  dependent  upon  the  character  of  the  work.  Mr.  James 
L  .Randolph  is  the  Principal  Assistant  in  charge  of  the  1st  Division,  and 
Mr.  Francis  Lackland  Principal  Assistant  of  the  2nd  Division.  These 
gentlemen,  together  with  the  Assistants,  who  have  been  employed  during 
the  past  season,  in  the  location,  revision  and  construction  of  the  Road,  it 
affords  me  pleasure  to  say,  have  discharged  their  duties,  in  their  respec- 
tive spheres,  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner.  Their  energy  and  untiring 
industry  entitle  them  to  the  highest  commendation. 
I  am,  gentlemen,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

WALTER  GWYNN, 
Chief  Eng'r  B.  R.  R.  R.  Company. 


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APPENDIX  No.  1. 


Anderson  Court  House,  Nov..  15th,  1856. 
Col.  Walter  Givynn : 

Dear  Sir, — Permit  me  to  give  you  some  interesting  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  project  of  connecting  Charleston  with  Cincinnati  by 
Railroad — which  transpired  in  the  summer  of  1836,  and  which  have  an 
important  bearing  on  the  line  adopted  by  the  Railroad  Company. 

The  Hon.  J.  C.  Calhoun  was  of  opinion  at  that  day,  that  the  Rabun 
Gap  route  was  the  best,  both  as  to  the  facility  of  passing  over  the  Blue 
Ridge  and  because  it  lay  more  westerly,  and  afforded  facilities  for  reach- 
ing the  great  rivers  of  the  West  at  a  lower  point  than  by  other  projected 
routes.  He  however  had  no  hopes  of  getting  permission  to  pass  through 
Georgia,  (which  it  was  necessary  to  do  to  reach  this  Gap,)  and  hence  he 
became  extremely  solicitous  to  explore  the  mountains  east  of  Rabun 
Gap,  with  a  view  to  find  some  practicable  pass  which  would  obviate  the 
necessity.  This  desire  led  to  a  correspondence  between  Mr.  Calhoun  and 
Gen.  Gadsden,  (who  concurred  with  him  in  his  opinion  as  to  the  route,) 
and  it  resulted  in  the  determination  to  make  a  trip  of  exploration,  in 
which  trip,  at  their  solicitation,  I  joined  them. 

We  approached  the  Chattuga  Ridge  from  the  rido'e  dividing  the 
waters  of  the  Keowee  and  Little  Rivers,  passing  over  the  Chattuga  Ridge 
into  Cashier's  Valley,  and  through  the  valley  to  the  McKinnie  Gap  in 
the  Blue  Ridge,  and  thence  down  the  Tuckasege  to  the  point  where  it 
unites  with  the  Little  Tennessee. 

After  our  return  Mr.  Calhoun  became  so  extremely  solicitous  to  ascer- 
tain whether  the  route  we  had  examined  was  practicable,  that  we  pro- 
cured a  cabinet  maker  to  construct  a  level  of  wood,  which,  upon  trial, 
we  found  to  be  sufficiently  accurate  to  answer  our  purpose.  We  set  out 
on  our  survey  :  I  took  charge  of  the  level,  having  the  Hon.  J.  C.  Cal- 
houn for  one  of  my  rodmen,  and  his  son,  Col.  A.  P.  Calhoun,  as  the 
other  rodman,  with  two  negroes  for  chainmen.  Thus  equipped,  we  con- 
tinued our  survey  from  the  ridge  dividing  the  Keowee  and  Little  Rivers, 


Microfilmed      _ 
SOLINET/ASERL  PROJECT 


32 


across  the  Chattuga  Ridge  into  Cashier's  Valley,  where  we  stopped— 
rinding  the  elevation  too  great  for  the  Railroad. 

On  the  route  of  exploration,  we  were  joined  by  Col.  W.  H.  Thomas, 
of  North-Carolina,  to  whom  Mr.  Calhoun  expressed  himself  very  fully, 
and  with  great  force,  as  to  the  importance  of  the  enterprise,  and  as  to 
the  advantages  of  the  Rabun  Gap  over  the  competing  routes — but  was 
hopeless  as  to  the  co-operation  Of  Georgia,  or  of  obtaining  permission  to 
pass  through  that  State. 

Col.  Thomas  was  so  forcibly  impressed  with  the  views  and  opinions  of 
Mr.  Calhoun,  that  on  an  interview  with  him  some  years  after,  and  after 
the  Cincinnati  Railroad  project  had  been  abandoned,  he  declared  his 
intention,  if  his  life  was  spared,  to  devote  his  best  energies  to  the  con- 
summation of  this  great  project.  At  that  time  he  was  earnestly  engaged 
in  prosecuting  claims  in  favor  of  a  portion  of  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and 
he  said  so  soon  as  these  claims  were  disposed  of,  he  would  declare  him- 
self a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  with  a  view  to  carry  out  this  great 
project. 

Col.  Thomas  proved  true  to  his  pledge ;  and  so  soon  as  his  Indian 
matters  ceased  to  require  his  attention,  became  a  candidate,  canvassed  the 
election  district,  made  speeches  in  favor  of  internal  improvements,  gene- 
rally, and  particularly  in  favor  of  a  Railroad  running  along  the  Tennessee 
to  form  one  of  the  links  in  consummation  of  the  great  Cincinnati  project. 
The  charter  was  obtained,  and  forms  one  of  the  connecting  links  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  Railroad.  Having  effected  thus  much,  he  sought  an  inter- 
view with  Col.  Coffee,  Senator  from  Rabun,  Georgia,  explained  to  him 
his  views  and  objects ;  and  through  the  instrumentality  of  Col.  Coffee, 
obtained  a  charter  from  the  State  of  Georgia. 

It  was  thus  that  the  barriers  to  this  great  enterprise,  so  ardently  sought 
in  1836,  were  removed  by  the  efforts  of  a  single  individual,  who  at  a 
Railroad  meeting  at  Anderson  Court  House,  in  a  public  speech,  had  the 
magnanimity  to  declare  that  he  had  received  his  first  ideas  of  the  impor- 
tance of  the  enterprise,  and  the  direction  of  the  route,  from  Mr.  Cal  < 
houn. 

Very  respectfully,  yours,  &c, 

WILLIAM  SLOAN. 


Photomou 
Pamphlet 
Binder 


nt 


Gaylord 

Makers 


Bros. 


fUM  '  'Tim 


